May 2012

My first day out on Sunday 6th May 2012 after my bout of appendicitis with follow-up problems and a couple of weeks in Stoke Mandeville hospital (thanks to all the staff for looking after me so well!). VWC diverts to start with, including set WB64 "Pretendolino" topped and tailed by Class 57/3s. Plenty of action on Chiltern Railways with the testing of the new power doors set over a couple of weeks and a run out on the final test train from Birmingham Moor Street. Throw in the odd special and it's been quite a busy month!

Having worked up fom Aylesbury to Marylebone via Amersham earlier, test train 1Q13 has retraced its steps to Aylesbury and is now heading for Aylesbury Vale Parkway. 66017 leads the train into Aylesbury North Loop, where it stopped to pick up the token, with 66019 on the rear. 168 219 is at the depot in the background, while a 168 and 165 unit occupy the sidings in the foreground. 14:42, Monday 21st May 2012. Digital Image No. GMPI11844.

Peter Skuce

on May 26, 2012

I was on the Chiltern Railways website and it had an artist illustration detailing the proposed interior of a refurbished Mark 3 carriage. It showed the interiors to feature the same interiors as the Class 168 Clubman Turbo DMU trains, right down to the same carpet and same seat design. This would have meant that there would have been no InterCity 70 seats with the horrible fixed armrests. Is there going to be a refurbished set with the same interiors as the Class 168 Clubman Turbo DMU or will all refurbished sets have the former Wrexham & Shropshire interior?